Domestic violence law to reach AL this year

The long-awaited draft law against domestic violence will be sent for lawmakers’ approval in the next few months, the Social Affairs Bureau (IAS) has announced, almost two years later than originally scheduled.
The final round of public consultation on the bill finished last October and the bureau received 369 proposals and comments, according to data quoted by Portuguese-language newspaper Hoje Macau.
The opinions were already sent to the Legal Affairs Bureau (DSAJ) for reference. “After the bill is adequately tweaked we expect to send it to the AL [Legislative Assembly] for discuss before mid-2012,” IAS told Hoje Macau.
The draft law punishes assault and battery, sexual abuse, deprivation of freedom and psychological abuse. But about 20 percent of the comments discussed whether or not other forms of domestic violence should be added as well.
A further 10 percent analysed the government’s decision to turn domestic violence into public crime, rather than a semi-public one, which means that the process will proceed despite the will of victims.
The new bill introduces tough punishment for abusers with jail sentences of up to 15 years, a mandatory reporting system for medical staff, teachers and social workers and a victim protection scheme.
The government announced the intention of drafting a law against domestic violence back in 2008 and at the time the IAS said the proposal would be passed to lawmakers by 2010.